


We Might Be Down Sometimes

by oceantovre



Series: We Might Be [6]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Astrophysicist Iwaizumi, Established Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluffy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mild Angst, Oikawa is insecure about Tobio, Pro Volleyball Player Oikawa Tooru, what's new amirite
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-21
Updated: 2018-04-21
Packaged: 2019-04-25 17:21:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,028
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14383386
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oceantovre/pseuds/oceantovre
Summary: Oikawa and the national team are playing scrimmages against uni teams...including Kageyama's university. When his insecurity takes over, only Iwaizumi can pull him out of that feeling.





	We Might Be Down Sometimes

**Author's Note:**

> First installment from Iwa's view...and it's still mostly about Oikawa. lol sorry, but it also does have insight into Iwa so...that counts. Hope you enjoy! Please leave comments, constructive crit., kudos, and whatnot!   
> Also I'm posting this just past midnight and I haven't read it through so... forgive me <3

Iwaizumi had been to games before, in fact he had been to every game the national team had held since him and Oikawa had officially started dating, yet there was something clearly different about this game. Even from where he was sitting, in the front row of the bleachers but still far enough away to be spared a volleyball to the face, it was obvious that something was wrong with his boyfriend. Usually, Oikawa had an easy grace around him when he played volleyball. His sets didn’t look like he was even trying; they were perfect and it was clear to everyone that they had come through years of hard practice. But today was different. Instead of his calm and tactical demeanor, Oikawa looked as though he was angry at the ball and practiced his hitting before the game much more than usual. The other team wasn’t even here yet and Oikawa had probably practiced the same amount as playing a full game. His sets were no less perfect, and his gameplay didn’t seem to be suffering, but his boyfriend was.

He didn’t like seeing Oikawa like that. He looked angry and upset and Iwaizumi couldn’t do anything about it because he was confined to the bleachers, with Akaashi on one side and Kenma on the other, the latter of which was directing his full attention to the PSP in his hands and not even glancing up. Since they’d all moved in next to each other months ago, Iwaizumi had gotten progressively closer to both the people next to him and their boyfriends, who were decidedly more active. He had known Bokuto for years, but Bokuto  _ with  _ Kuroo was a completely different experience than Bokuto  _ sans  _ Kuroo. They had been trying to induct Iwaizumi as a member of their “bro” club, because apparently going to the gym plus having a hot boyfriend makes you a “bro”.  

“Something bothering you, Iwaizumi-san?” Iwaizumi jolted slightly at the sound of Akaashi’s voice, but quickly collected himself and turned to face the man who still insisted on using honorifics on any of his friends who were even just one year older. 

“I’m fine,” he said, then figured there was no harm in voicing his concern about Oikawa. “Something seems off about Oikawa today, and I can’t figure it out. He was acting weird this morning too.” 

Akaashi nodded, turning his head to look onto the court where Oikawa was now setting up tosses for the wing spikers, methodical and stern but with an undertone of malice on his face that wasn’t missed. 

“That might have to do with the team they’re going against,” Akaashi said simply, and Iwaizumi internally cursed the man for not just explaining fully all in one go, but that just wasn’t Akaashi’s style. 

“What team is that?” 

“Well, they’re doing three scrimmages with the best college teams today. It’s a type of community fundraising outreach, that’s why there are more people here than usual,” Akaashi explained, and Iwaizumi just watched him, waiting for more. “One of those teams is Todai, which is where one of Oikawa-san’s old kouhai from middle school plays now.  Based on what Bokuto told me, the kouhai was a very naturally talented boy, which never seemed to settle well with Oikawa since you know he always works hard to get where he is. It would make sense if this caused Oikawa to be more competitive than usual, so I wouldn’t worry too much unless they lose, and they won’t lose.”

Iwaizumi just stared at Akaashi for a second, realizing that he had forgotten that the man was a psychologist. Then he just nodded, turning back to look at Oikawa. It made sense, after all. Oikawa did always have a problem with people who were naturally talented, which is why he always hated most singers. But, that didn’t mean that Iwaizumi was okay with his boyfriend being upset. 

“I’ll be right back, Neko-chan! Tell coach I needed to add a wrap to my knee!” Oikawa’s voice was louder than it had been, catching Iwaizumi’s attention immediately. He watched as Oikawa walked back towards the locker room, but then moved at the last moment and walked out into the lobby of the gym complex. Iwaizumi watched puzzled, then saw figures moving in to the gym from the opposite side. It appeared as though the other three teams had arrived, with Todai coming in first.  _ Oh. _

“I should go after him, right?” Iwaizumi asked to no one in particular, hoping that either of the people next to him had seen what happened and be able to give some advice. 

“Probably,” a small voice muttered, and Iwaizumi was surprised that Kenma had actually given any input at all. Though, if there was one thing Kenma was good at, it was observing other people around him. Iwaizumi sighed, standing up and making his way towards the lobby before Oikawa would be able to get too far away. It didn’t help that the lobby was absolutely full of people either waiting in line for food, or meandering and waiting for friends, or just being an annoying hazard to Iwaizumi in his quest for finding Oikawa. It took him several minutes of searching before he finally heard the heavy breathing coming from a closet way out of the way of the lobby, so there was almost no chance that it was any normal spectator.

Carefully, he walked up to the door and knocked quietly with his knuckles. “Oikawa?” 

The breathing immediately stopped, which told Iwaizumi that he had hit the jackpot and it was indeed his boyfriend on the other side of the door. “I’m fine, Iwa-chan. Go back and sit.” The voice sounded cheery, but Iwaizumi was sure it was accompanied by a fake smile. 

“You’re hiding in a storage closet when you’re supposed to be showing off in front of college kids,” Iwaizumi responded, knocking again more insistently.  

“I’m not  _ hiding,  _ Iwa-chan,” Oikawa responded through the door. “I’m composing myself so I don’t commit homicide.” 

Iwaizumi raised his brows, even though nobody saw it. Of all of the things he had been expecting Oikawa to say, that had not even been in his top 10. Then, he sighed because he  _ should have  _ expected that level of drama from Oikawa, because Oikawa tended to be  _ dramatic.  _

“Well, let me in so I can help you compose,” he said, knocking again. He received silence as an answer, then the door opened quickly and standing on the other side was Oikawa. 

“How do you know I’m not trying to avoid murdering  _ you _ ?” Oikawa asked, stepping out into the hallway and closing the door behind him. They were far enough from the main lobby to avoid Oikawa being spotted by any fans, but it was still a much more exposed area. 

“Because Akaashi already told me what’s bothering you,” Iwaizumi said, crossing his arms. “And if you killed me, you wouldn’t have anyone to confuse you with physics.” 

Oikawa looked at Iwaizumi with skepticism. “What did Aka-Chan say?” 

“The university teams, more specifically a certain player,” Iwaizumi said, watching Oikawa’s face carefully for the reaction. He got what he wanted when Oikawa’s lips dropped into an O momentarily before his features hardened and he furrowed his brows before looking at the ground. He mumbled something, but Iwaizumi couldn’t discern it. 

“What?” He said, and the mumble was repeated, still unintelligible. Sighing, he reached out a hand and put it softly under Oikawa’s chin, pulling his head up so that the setter was forced to look at him. When their eyes met, Iwaizumi couldn’t exactly determine what he was seeing in Oikawa’s chocolate brown pupils. “Repeat,” he said. 

“It’s not fair,” Oikawa said again, still barely not a mumble, but at least Iwaizumi heard him. “It’s not fair,” Oikawa repeated, a little clearer. 

“What isn’t fair?” Iwaizumi asked, though he was almost certain that he already knew what Oikawa was trying to say. Oikawa’s lips pursed and twisted, his eyes suddenly trying to avoid Iwaizumi’s. 

“He doesn’t even have to try,” Oikawa said, softly. “I have to practice for hours everyday, and that stupid kid doesn’t even have to try. It isn’t fair.”   

Iwaizumi watched as Oikawa bit his lip-  _ cute _ \- before turning his head back so they were once again making eye contact. Clearly, this bothered him more than he had even admitted to Bokuto. It wasn’t like Oikawa to be this dejected without shedding tears, but Iwaizumi could clearly see that there wasn’t even a shine in Oikawa’s eyes. That was the problem. Oikawa was about to play volleyball, and he was supposed to be shiny and ready and excited to go. He always was. Iwaizumi didn’t like seeing that shine gone from his boyfriend’s eyes. 

“Life isn’t fair,” Iwaizumi said, and Oikawa’s expression instantly soured as he pulled himself away. He crossed his arms over his chest, not even trying to conceal the annoyed look on his face. 

“No shit, Iwa-chan,” he said. “I hear that all the-”

“You didn’t let me finish,” Iwaizumi said, cutting Oikawa off before he could finish being mad. Oikawa glared at him for a second, then huffed and looked off to the side. Iwaizumi sighed. 

“It isn’t fair that he has more natural talent than most people, and it isn’t fair that you have to work harder. For the same reason, it isn’t fair that I had to wait 20 something years of my life to meet you, and it isn’t fair that some day I’m going to die and I won’t be able to hold you anymore. It isn’t fair that I spent all that time in college dating girls when it would have taken one look at you to know that I’m gay as hell,” he said, and he watched as Oikawa started to turn back towards him, but he wasn’t done. “But I’m here now, so I’m not going to complain. So what if that kid doesn’t have to work as hard? There’s no way he has as much passion as you do. That hard work  _ means  _ something Oikawa, because it makes you care about what you’re doing that much more. You’re here now, on the  _ national fucking team _ Tooru, and you know that you’re going to beat them. Ignore that kid, and just play for you, okay? Or play for me if you want. But don’t play because you feel like you need to prove something.” 

Iwaizumi watched, waiting for some kind of reaction from Oikawa beyond the setter’s jaw already having dropped down the slightest bit. Oikawa barely seemed to be reacting, his eyes just locked on Iwaizumi’s eyes and his breath coming in shorter and shorter spurts. Then, his eyes suddenly welled up with painfully glassy tears, and the setter launched himself forward into Iwaizumi’s arms. It was a lucky thing that Iwaizumi was abnormally strong because it definitely wasn’t easy to avoid falling over when a national level athlete plowed into him. 

“I-Iwa-ch-chan,” the setter sputtered as Iwaizumi was still recovering from the tackle. Once he did, he assessed his position and realized that they had traveled a few feet backwards and almost all of Oikawa’s body weight was pressed into the shorter man. The taller man’s chestnut brown hair was tucked into the crook of Iwaizumi’s neck, and his strong body was shaking slightly against Iwaizumi’s. 

“Oikawa?” He asked quietly, trying to pull Oikawa’s face out so he could look at him. Once he did, he saw what a mess his boyfriend looked like. His eyes were slightly red and glassy, and his perfect face was streaked with tears. Iwaizumi pulled Oikawa’s head up by putting one hand on each cheek, and used his thumbs to brush away tears. They couldn’t have more than ten minutes before Kuroo and Bokuto would start a witch hunt for the setter. 

“Oikawa?” Iwaizumi repeated, and Oikawa took a slightly deeper breath, and then Iwaizumi watched as a slight smile broke onto the setter’s face. It looked so out of place on the teary cheeks, but it was so undeniably beautiful. It was like a flower growing from ashes; strong, lively, and so evidently  _ powerful. _ Iwaizumi watched was Oikawa smiled, with tears still running down his cheeks.

“Y-you really l-like me,” Oikawa said, his smile only growing. Iwaizumi was taken aback.  _ That whole speech and that’s what he picks out from it?  _ He contemplated punching his boyfriend, but decided against it. He didn’t want to risk Oikawa spiraling downwards again.

“I do,” Iwaizumi said, the smile from Oikawa’s face becoming slightly contagious. 

“Y-you care about me,” Oikawa continued, and Iwaizumi nodded again. Oikawa let out a small gust of air that sounded almost like a laugh. “I’m better than Tobio-chan. I can do it, right?” 

Iwaizumi didn’t know who “Tobio-chan” was, but he assumed it was the college kid that Oikawa had found such a problem with. He wasn’t going to ask, since it seemed like Oikawa was slipping back into his usual self, which Iwaizumi desperately wanted. Oikawa was only himself when he didn’t get in his own way, that much Iwaizumi had figured out. 

“So much better, Oikawa,” Iwaizumi said, using his hands to pull Oikawa closer, their noses almost touching. “You’re so much better, and you’re going to beat them into the ground today, yeah?”

Oikawa took a breath, then looked back at Iwaizumi with determination in his eyes. “Yeah.” 

Iwaizumi smiled, then pulled Oikawa in for another hug. This time, it was soft and tender with no crying involved. They both just held each other, because Iwaizumi understood exactly what Oikawa needed, and wasn’t hesitant to help him. Oikawa was his boyfriend, and there wasn’t a bone in his body that didn’t want to see his boyfriend happy. 

“Thank you,” Oikawa whispered, bringing Iwaizumi back to the present. He responded by squeezing Oikawa a little, before releasing. 

“You should go,” he said. “You’ll be late to the game.” 

Oikawa glanced backward as if he had only just remembered where he was and what he was supposed to be doing. He blushed and smiled, looking back at Iwaizumi. 

“You’re always right,” he said. “Thanks, Iwa-chan!” 

Iwaizumi only barely had time to roll his eyes at the nickname before Oikawa had turned on his heels and started running back towards the entrance to the gym. Iwaizumi wasn’t far behind, though he walked slowly instead of running; he wasn’t in a hurry. If anything, he was slightly drained from helping Oikawa. Not because he didn’t want to handle it, or couldn’t, but because it hurt him to see that dejected look on Oikawa’s face. That look didn’t belong on those beautiful features, and anybody could have seen it if they knew how to look. Though, it brought Iwaizumi some satisfaction to know that  _ he  _ was the only one who knew how to look. He knew when Oikawa needed to be touched, even if it just meant curling up on the couch together and watching an old movie since they were both suckers for classics. Iwaizumi knew when Oikawa needed to be taken down a notch, because as much as Iwaizumi liked him, Oikawa sometimes went one step too far and Iwaizumi needed to slap him on the back of the head. He knew when Oikawa needed to be lifted, which happened more often than one might think; even the infallible Oikawa Tooru saw his own faults and let them consume him. 

Most of all, Iwaizumi was glad that he had known when Oikawa had needed a friend. On that airplane, when the setter was obviously scared out of his mind to fly. Iwaizumi had gone through a bit of internal turmoil to decide if he should intervene and as the beautiful man beside him if he was okay. He was glad he did. If he hadn’t, he wouldn’t be watching the Japanese national team play almost every week, with his boyfriend leading the charge. If he hadn’t, he wouldn’t get to go home with Oikawa after the games, either celebrating or consoling with gentle hands. Either way, Iwaizumi took care of Oikawa. 

By the time Iwaizumi returned to his seat, the first set with Todai had started, and Oikawa was walking back to serve. It was perfect timing really, and neither Kenma nor Akaashi said anything at first while they allowed Iwaizumi to just watch his boyfriend serve. 

Seven ace serves, all of them perfect balls. Pinpoint accuracy. Impressive. Strong. Powerful. Oikawa. 

The only reason they lost the serve was because one of the university students with bright orange hair and an absurdly high jump managed to get a good hit in nearby the least experienced of the national team members playing on the court. Iwaizumi hadn’t watched the spiker though; he’d watched the setter. 

He was just a tall, pale, blue-black haired boy, but Iwaizumi understood immediately. The sets were perfect, and they reached exactly where they needed to go.  _ But.  _ They went to the same spot every time. It was a good thing that him and the little orange spiker had a good rhythm, because any slower and the spiker wouldn’t have gotten it. They were good sets.  _ Really good sets.  _ But they weren’t Oikawa’s. 

They weren’t the perfectly graceful arches reaching perfectly until they reached Bokuto’s palm, with the ball then slamming down on the other side of the court. So yeah, the sets from Todai were  _ amazing.  _ But they weren’t national, and they weren’t Tooru. 

“I always thought he ought to respect himself a bit more.” Iwaizumi turned to Akaashi, puzzled at what the man had said. Akaashi continued. “He truly is better than those university students, and I always believed he should acknowledge it. I think that you finally made him see it.”

Iwaizumi smiled, turning back to the game. 

Yes, Oikawa was a handful. And yes, he overreacted. Yes, he was insecure. Yes, he was a mess sometimes. But he was Iwaizumi’s mess, and he wouldn’t change that for the world. He wanted to stay with Oikawa for as long as he could. 

All he needed to do was admit he was in love. 

 

**Author's Note:**

> lol there it is  
> I'm probably going to finish the next chapter of Lost in Darkness before I add another installment to this, so if you haven't read that, you could have fun with that. It's my multi-chapter blind Suga Daisuga fic and it's slightly less trash than you might think.  
> Leave your suggestions below for the next installment of "We Might Be" because I have ideas but they need a premise to work on, sooooooooo LEAVE COMMENTS! I LOVE YOU! <3


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